The New Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide

I have trusted Sunset's Western Garden for decades living in Arizona. Back in the 1980's I accidentally discovered this garden guide in a used book store and haven't found another source that is so complete and helpful since. I tried the disk CD version back in the 1990s and was disappointed and always went back to my hardcover copy. It was time to get an updated version. I found this much newer edition which was listed as used and in very good condition so I took the chance and bought it. It arrived fast and I am amazed by the actual condition of the book and could not be more delighted. Being on a limited income I am always looking for ways to save money and I did well with this purchase by buying used. I ended up saving over 75% of the new hardcover edition by buying used and the softcover. I take good care of my books so for me this was the best route to get all my garden knowledge for my area and zone. I can depend on this book to find the information on any plant I choose to look up and it hasn't failed me yet during all the decades I have used it. Not only can I find the plant it also gives me everything I need to know about it and how to grow it for the best results. Living in Arizona has different gardening methods and demands and I found this out when moving here from the Midwest. What I did up north doesn't work in the desert environment as I found out with my first garden in Arizona. Since owning this excellent reference guide I have made adjustments and learned so much about growing in my zone and have so many great successes when gardening and my green thumb has come back to me!

The Western Garden Book is an excellent source of information on most varieties of plants and trees grown in the western parts of America. It covers not only where to choose the best locations but also how to care for and treat if need be. It is an excellent reference book, so much better than most other gardening help books offered.

The 2014 book is fantastic. A little hard to get used to at first since I do not know all the scientific names of the plants but after you get acclimated on how to use the different sections and the index it's easy to find what you are looking for. I love the beautiful pictures and the tips on how to grow from seeds outdoors, when to plant the sprouts outdoors, planting from store bought plants, challenges the plants have, drought resistant plants and gardens, and the detailed portion explaining the climate zones. It does not go in to as much detail as Sunset's Western Garden book of Edibles but it is great for everything. I visited a local Botanical Garden at the University of California nearby and they recommend this book to their students for part of their curriculum. The garden layouts in the back of the book are realistic in the fact that it is possible that I could actually get my yard to look like that for area I live in for the drought resistant desert plants. It was cheaper to buy the book on Amazon and I am very pleased with my purchase. It is in better condition when it arrived from shipment than many of the books I saw available for sale in the store and both were brand new.

"Sunset" has been the consistent go-to book about gardening for decades, and I've always had at least one! The climate zones are far more useful than those issued by the USDA, the plant lists are helpful, and the plant descriptions and information about growing the plants are very good. I do occasionally find something in a description that's contradictory, in particular statements about the mature size of a particular plant, but almost all descriptions are on-target. I've been gardening long enough that I rarely use the section in the back of the book that describes pests, growing techniques, etc., but I can see that for someone new to gardening it would be a valuable resource. In the past it seemed that new editions were published more frequently, which meant the plant names in the book kept up with changes in taxonomic names, and that's a bit less true currently. That said, names don't change that often, and Sunset generally notes both the old and new names. Regardless, I'm sure I'll buy the next edition whenever it's published. The 5-stars are a given, and I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in plants and/or gardening, especially for the price. I contains an amazing amount of good information!

If you live in CA, this is the best gardening book you can buy. Beautiful photos, yes, but even better is that it's a wealth of information on plants, tools, ecosystems, microclimates, etc. For this edition they expanded the section on edible gardening and they took out a large chunk of the plant propagation section. I really wish they had kept the plant propagation section in here because I feel like more and more people are trying to grow from seed especially with edibles. Still, it's a great book, well-researched, and laid out in a logical way. Note: plants are cataloged by latin name and not common name. This actually helps learn the latin names, though, which are the standard horticultural names. Makes it easier when drafting a plant list for ordering from the nursery or retailer.

Good clean book as described

I just love this book, it is a very welcome addition to my collection of gardening books. It has been very informative. Every time I look inside I find something new or if I look for something specific it is there. What more can I say? A very good buy.

Excellent product Excellent delivery

As a Master Gardener, I can vouch for this gardening book - it's one of the first one's I reach for when I need to look something up.

Great book, super informative!! A definite must have for every gardener!! Great new full colour pictures compared to the older version.